Belts are commonly used both by men and by women. They are used functionally to support pants or other garments, and also ornamentally as a color item, and often with an ornamental buckle.
For various reasons, it may be desirable to change a buckle from one belt to another. For example, the buckle may be a very ornate one having intricate designs, or jewels incorporated therein, and it may be expensive due to incorporation of jewels, or due to being made from a semi-precious or precious metal. Thus, it may be desirable to use but a single belt buckle with a large number of belts.
Conversely, it may be desirable to have a single favorite belt usable with a plurality of different belt buckles.
Particularly from the standpoint of a retailer, it may be highly desirable to have belts and buckles separately available to allow a customer to choose one or more buckles that the customer may want, with one or more belts, to be matched at the customer's desire.
The prior art has not adequately provided for interchange of belts and buckles and selective joining thereof. Often buckles are permanently affixed to belts, and there can be no question of interchangability. There have been belts and buckles that are separable or available individually for subsequent joining, but they have generally either been difficult to separate and/or connect, or they have not been reliably connectable to one another.